


The Obvious Approach

by Tangerine



Category: X-Factor (Comics)
Genre: Body Worship, Comfort Sex, Desperate Sex, M/M, Porn with Feelings, Scars, Use of Magic or Super Powers During Sex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-11
Updated: 2018-04-11
Packaged: 2019-04-20 04:22:04
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,450
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14252937
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tangerine/pseuds/Tangerine
Summary: Fighting alongside Rictor brings out strong feelings in Shatterstar, which he doesn't always know what to do with. Rictor, obviously, helps him out.





	The Obvious Approach

**Author's Note:**

  * For [thinlizzy2](https://archiveofourown.org/users/thinlizzy2/gifts).



There were several issues with being a time-traveller. One of them was the temptation to travel back in time and tell his younger self that someday he would be half the fighter he had the potential to be because he fought alongside his boyfriend, and his boyfriend was more important than _anything_. 

Shatterstar could just imagine what his younger face would look like, and it would be nothing good. Some sharp mix of horror and disbelief, combined with a strong desire to just fall on his swords and save himself from the future embarrassment of his older counterpart, who was obviously deranged in the head.

It had the potential to be quite comical. 

To be fair, it was likely that fighting alongside Julio had not reduced his fighting ability by half. At worst, it was a tenth. That was to be expected, he reasoned. The case was important, of course, but ensuring his boyfriend was not killed or maimed in the process, even if it meant failing, was vital. 

These were the types of things he thought about when he needed the distraction, but right then, when he needed it the most, it wasn't helping at all. The urge to berate himself for failing to keep Julio safe – who deserved to be protected even if he often protested otherwise – warred with his baser instincts, which wanted Julio naked in his arms, so Shatterstar could cherish and worship him properly.

Seeing that line of raw flesh, Shatterstar just didn't know whether to freak out or fuck him. 

"You're lucky you don't need stitches, Ric," Theresa said, patting at his wound with a wet wipe from the small medical kit Julio kept in the pocket of his coat. When Shatterstar had questioned him about it once, he'd explained it away with a mumble, dismissing it as a holdover from his time without powers. 

"Shit, that stings," Julio hissed, and Shatterstar kept his eyes glued to the gash on his stomach. If it had been deeper, if Shatterstar hadn't changed course at the last moment, if Julio hadn't allowed Shatterstar to interfere with his own fight ... if he could never kiss him again. "That's gonna leave an ugly scar."

Shatterstar knew the story behind every scar on Julio's body, and now he had one more. That was fine. Later, after the shock of what could have been wore off, he'd admire how well Julio fought, and how attractive he looked using his powers to their fullest ability, and how scars just made him sexier, but right then, tense and turned on, he could only stare at Julio as his disjointed feelings battled in his brain. 

It was ongoing, the issue of adrenaline and emotions, but he still didn't know how to solve it.

Julio didn't know either. Shatterstar had asked. 

"You are un-fucking-believable," Monet said beside him, lounging on the remnants of a tree trunk.

"Stop reading his mind," Julio snapped. Shatterstar, embarrassingly, had been too focused on Julio's bare chest and the swell of his muscles and the echo of lines on his skin to realize her jab was at him. 

"I don't have to read his mind," Monet replied easily. "He's so obvious. It's almost endearing."

Theresa laughed lightly, pressing a bandage over Julio's wound. "Are you jealous, Monet?" 

Monet rolled her eyes. "Hardly. I don't suppose you have a pack of cards hidden in that coat."

Julio stood up and tugged on his shirt, and Shatterstar watched him through hooded eyes. At first, he thought Julio was going to sit on the other side of Monet, but he settled behind Shatterstar instead, his hands immediately resting on his shoulders. "I have a notepad and a pen, if you want to play hangman."

"That sounds thrilling," Monet replied. 

"Perhaps some tic-tac-toe," Theresa suggested sweetly. "Pictionary? Mad libs?"

Shatterstar tuned them out, focused on the dig of Julio's thumbs into the space between his shoulder blades. He sighed deeply, enjoying it, and Julio pressed his face to the top of Shatterstar's head, breathing into his hair. "I love when you look at me like that, Star," Julio murmured, in Cadre.

Shatterstar shivered.

"Please somebody save me," Monet said, clearly directed at them, but Julio just gave her the finger.

"How _are_ you doing, Shatterstar? Getting close?"

"To teleporting?" He asked, looking over to Theresa, who nodded. "No. Another hour, I believe."

" _We_ should do dinner, so they can have the building to themselves," Monet decided, speaking to Theresa, who grinned. Behind him, Julio bristled a little because he'd never been fond of being the target of other people's teasing, but Shatterstar just leaned into him a bit, trying not to be _obvious_. 

"Since when do you speak Cadre anyway?" Julio asked, audibly annoyed. 

"Thankfully, I don't," Monet replied. "I don't care what you're saying. You're both obvious. It's ..." 

"Sweet," Theresa said, cutting her off with a light laugh. "It's really sweet. Now, Monet, I believe you promised me a game."

The next hour passed glacially slow, though it was helped by the fingers Julio threaded through his hair, massaging his scalp. It wasn't the touch he wanted, but he remembered all the times in Mexico, after a long day, when he would sit like this with Julio, between his legs, Julio's hands twisted in his hair. 

They had been some of the very first touches between them, before Julio was entirely comfortable with his desires and how far Shatterstar was willing to go in order to fulfill them and make them both happy. Those first few times ... he had been eager, if not talented, and Julio had responded to him in kind.

"You really are obvious," Julio murmured, in Cadre again, fond and knowing.

"I wish we were home," Shatterstar replied, also in Cadre. "I need you."

"Soon," Julio promised him, and they shared a smile between them. Monet sighed deeply. 

Finally, he felt like he could make it back to New York without killing them all or, worse, getting them lost in the timestream. Crossing his swords over his chest, he focused on Julio's strong desire to go home, felt the portal open and held it until everyone was safely through before following them in.

Standing on the sidewalk and ignoring that tiny twinge of relief he always felt when it actually worked, he looked at Julio, who looked back at him, and Monet said, "okay, no, I'm not even changing. Terry?"

"Coming," Theresa assured her, hooking her arm with Monet's. They headed down the street, talking lowly to each other in a register he couldn't hear without straining. When he glanced back at Julio, he already had the front door open, and Shatterstar felt that storm of desperation rise up in chest again. 

Freak out or fuck him. 

Shatterstar thought about fucking him on the welcome mat, and the staircase, and the door to their bedroom, because if he thought about those things he didn't think about the cut on Julio's belly beneath his shirt and how it could have easily destroyed Shatterstar's life. Stomach wounds were often fatal.

"Julio," he said, a raw, helpless edge to his voice, and Julio tugged him inside by the hand.

"Shit, you are so worked up. You know I'm fine, right? This is the definition of a flesh wound."

"This time," Shatterstar said. He wouldn't tell his younger self this part, where he got overwhelmed by all the emotions and didn't know whether to freak or fuck, because they both felt exactly the same. 

"What do you need?" Julio asked, smoothing his hands over Shatterstar's face, his chest, down the slopes of his sides. It helped to ground him, but his breath kept coming harsh, painful in his chest. There were a million things he wanted, but he was pragmatic even when lost in a storm of feelings. As much as he loved pushing into Julio's body, Julio squirming beneath him, that just took too much time. 

"Your mouth," Shatterstar said, and Julio nodded, leaning up to kiss him hard, open, tongue sliding wetly between his lips. Shatterstar kissed him back, licking into him, urgent. Julio's hands at Shatterstar's waist knew how to find every snap, every zipper, every hook on his uniform, without looking. They'd undressed each other hundreds of times already. Julio handled him firmly, didn't take time or be overly cautious, and Shatterstar appreciated that. He needed the raw physicality right then. 

Julio dropped to his knees, hand gripping Shatterstar's cock tightly, dragging a steady thumb over the tip, and Shatterstar hissed, pushing his hips forward. It wasn't enough, and Julio knew it, but he kept his hold tight and unwavering, moving on him, rhythmic, hypnotic, staring up at him with wide, dark eyes. Shatterstar shuddered with every stroke, twisting, stretching, enjoying it but wanting more, like always.

And then Julio smiled, and Shatterstar almost came undone, right then, before it had even started.

"Julio," he said, more like a sigh than an actual word, arching towards him again.

Julio wet his lips, still smiling, and murmured knowingly, "I know. I've got you, Star." 

With that, mercifully, _finally_ , Julio's mouth was on him, sucking him in, down, the urgent press of Julio's tongue hot against his shaft as his head bobbed intently. The fingers of one hand dug into his skin, leaving crescent-shaped marks, and the other worked at the base of his dick, aiding Julio's fervent mouth. It was intense and glorious, and Julio let him thrust and twist and pull a little at his hair. 

Julio, among his many and varied talents, had always been especially good at oral stimulation. He was generally amazing, but his thoughtfulness, and his fearlessness, and the fact he liked doing it so much was almost as arousing as how his lips looked stretched around Shatterstar's cock, wet and glistening. Shatterstar watched as his cock slid deeper, then back, then deeper again into Julio's willing mouth. Back and forth, Julio's harsh breathing and the slick of his mouth a symphony in Shatterstar's ears. 

It was beautiful and perfect and a million other things, and in that moment, he didn't give a fekt about anything that had happened before, just that he had Julio now, on his knees, eagerly sucking him. 

Shatterstar came with a low groan, shoulders pressed against the door, but otherwise arched towards Julio, reaching for him, always. Then Julio stood, sliding up against him and kissing him thoroughly, tongue sleek and hot, slipping against his own, tasting of salt. Shatterstar breathlessly kissed him back, combing his fingers into his hair, savouring the way Julio opened up beneath him with a sweet smile. 

"Better?"

"Better," Shatterstar agreed, but it still wasn't enough. It never was when it came to Julio.

And Julio, as usual, understood that he wanted, that he _needed_ , more. 

With a knowing look, Julio began to undress him. He pushed his coat and shirt off his shoulders and down his arms, carefully laying them over the closest chair, then began tugging at his already open pants, pausing to remove his boots and set them alongside the neat row of sneakers by the door. Lastly, he slid his fingers under the waist of Shatterstar's underwear, lingering a little, stroking him, before removing them, too.

"Get on the bed," Julio murmured, curving a possessive hand over Shatterstar's buttock, then following that with a series of three kisses, each one catching his lower lip, marking him, before pulling away.

Shatterstar laid down on his back and watched as Julio undressed, savouring the view. He had slimmed down from their younger years, less muscular, less bulky, but more mature and solid in a way he hadn't been before. He also held himself differently, which Shatterstar preferred. He liked knowing that Julio enjoyed this, their relationship, and how Shatterstar always looked at him with unreserved adoration. 

He could have hid it or been more inconspicuous among their teammates, knowing the teasing that would inevitably follow, but Julio had long ago told him not to bother. And Shatterstar had never been particularly good at hiding his feelings for Julio, even when he hadn't recognized what they were.

"You look incredible naked," Shatterstar told him, which earned him another unguarded smile. 

" _Gracias_ ," Julio replied with a warm laugh. "Now turn over."

Shatterstar glanced down at Julio's cock, where it jutted proudly from his body, hard and wanting, but Julio just lightly tapped him on the hip until he rolled onto his belly. Shatterstar looked back, watching as Julio straddled him, resting on the swell on his ass, then exhaled when Julio's fingers touched him.

"Oh," Shatterstar said, at the vibrations on his skin, melting a little under his ministrations. It had taken him ages to convince Julio that it was okay to use his powers in this context, that if any body could take it without fear of injury or loss of control, it was his body, which was practically made for Julio.

The silence stretched between, warm, comfortable, while Julio touched him, skin on skin, skimming over his back, down his arms, between his fingers. It was relaxing yet sensual, intimate in a way he had only ever shared with Julio. His cock began to fill again, pressed between his belly and the sheets, and he squirmed his hips a little, enjoying the friction. Julio knowingly slipped his fingers between Shatterstar's legs, vibrating relentlessly against the ring of muscle there, and Shatterstar groaned deeply. 

"Shh, just enjoy it," Julio murmured, pressing at him, and Shatterstar closed his eyes, exhaling.

Julio's hands stayed there for a while, teasing him, barely slipping inside, before they moved again. Knowingly, his touch travelled, humming over the expanse of his back, to the base of his neck, before whisking down again, expertly mapping the rigid line of his spine and the curves of his buttocks. It was comforting in a way that was still somewhat new to him, but even as he melted, he continued to hold onto his stress, without wanting to, because when his mind wandered, all he thought about was Julio. 

When he was younger, he had never worried if Julio would be at his side or not, because he had just assumed he would be. It had felt right and perfect and all those things television had told him to expect, but it hadn't lasted, not then. Now, more experienced in these matters, he knew how fragile it all was. 

The thought of being separated from Julio again, for any reason, was just ... there were no words in English, Spanish or Cadre that accurately expressed his feelings on the matter. He loved him too much. 

Shatterstar sighed deeply. His younger self would be pitying him right now, if he could see this. 

"You are a giant ball of tension," Julio said, his fingers working between Shatterstar's shoulder blades, his erection pressed hot against Shatterstar's skin. He wanted Julio's cock, desperately, but he also knew he was hiding nothing from Julio right then. "Do you want to talk about what happened back there?"

"No," Shatterstar murmured unhappily into the pillow, which smelled like Julio. 

"Would it be easier for you if I asked Madrox to put us on separate cases, when possible?"

" _Absolutely not_ ," Shatterstar replied, lifting up suddenly, tensing again, but Julio merely guided his head back down to the bed with one hand, the other pressed hard into the small of his back. "That would make it worse, Julio. Not knowing. No, I will simply work on ... pushing these emotions down."

Julio snorted softly. "Oh, yeah, because that's always worked so well for both of us in the past."

"I just didn't think it would be this hard," Shatterstar admitted. 

"Whatever happened to it's the highest honour to die as a warrior on the battlefield?"

"Spoken like a virgin who had never loved somebody," Shatterstar mumbled miserably into the pillow. 

Julio's hands paused, resting on his hips, curved around him, and then he started to laugh, loud and bright, bending down and pressing his forehead into Shatterstar's hair. Each puff of breath was warm and damp, tickling along his neck, and the full weight of his body came down upon Shatterstar's back.

"Julio," Shatterstar said fondly, unable to keep the laughter from his own voice, and he twisted around, tangling with Julio until they settled more comfortably, legs folded together and bodies leaning forward. Julio looked at him again, calm for a moment, then resumed his laughter. Shatterstar put a hand on his cheek and kissed him, smiling against his mouth. "You shouldn't laugh at my feelings."

"It's just so true," Julio replied, eyes shining and crinkled at the corners. "You were so ... _convinced_."

"I clearly didn't know anything," Shatterstar said, stroking his fingers down Julio's side, over his stomach, careful of the bandage and the raw line of skin beneath it. "You've made me a terrible warrior, Julio. I see you out there, and all I want is to have you back in my bed I don't care if I win anymore."

"You still care," Julio replied, putting his hand on Shatterstar's thigh. "I know you do, Star."

"I don't care as much," he admitted, running his knuckles over the line of dark hair that led to Julio's cock. He was still hard, full and wanting, and Shatterstar brushed the back of his hand over it. Julio shivered, legs parting just a little wider, hips jutting forward just a little closer. "It's agonizing, Julio."

"You have to get used to it," Julio told him, squeezing his knee. "You think I don't worry, too?"

Shatterstar shrugged. "You've always had better emotional control. Better understanding."

"I do," Julio assured him. "I should probably be desensitized by now, considering how many times you've stabbed yourself in my presence, and that one time you fucking _died_ on me, but I'm not. I spend every fight with one eye on you, even though I know you're fine." Julio touched his face gently, fingertips brushing over his cheekbone. "We'll work on getting you through these feelings. Okay?"

Shatterstar leaned over and kissed him sweetly. "I just want all the time I can have with you."

"I know," Julio replied, moving his hand from Shatterstar's knee to his chest, then smiled. "Me, too."

Shatterstar made a desperate noise, but it wasn't the same as before. It was more that when Julio said these sorts of things, his heart did something weird in his chest, and he somehow ended up loving him more, despite thinking he couldn't possibly find another reason because he'd found them all already.

He was always wrong. 

There was simply no end to the things to love about Julio, and he was determined to discover them all. 

Shatterstar skimmed his hands over Julio's bare skin, kissing from his mouth to his shoulder to his chest. With each scar he found, he lavished it with the utmost care and respect, tracing it with his lips, before moving onto the next. Sighing contentedly, Julio reclined slightly, offering himself, propped up by two arms locked at the elbows. His cock leaked against his belly, practically begging to be touched. 

"You should never wear clothes," Shatterstar said admiringly.

"Yeah, that'd go over well with the rest of the team," Julio replied, laughing again. 

Shatterstar stroked a hand up the length of Julio's cock, drawing a shiver. "I'd enjoy it. It'd be for me."

"Bring it up at the next staff meeting," Julio suggested, eyes closed, rolling his hips, knees shifting further. Shatterstar continued to caress him, dragging his fingers over his cock, occasionally sliding over the tip to spread the slickness around. Julio's teeth chewed into his lower lip, and with each stroke, the skin between his brows furrowed. He opened his eyes. "So ... are you going to fuck me or what?" 

Asked lazily, with a small, knowing smile, and Shatterstar responded in kind. "I was considering it."

"You've been fucking me with your eyes ever since I took down whatever the hell that thing was."

"Yes," Shatterstar agreed easily, hand still moving methodically on Julio's cock, up and down, enjoying each squirm that betrayed Julio's eagerness, each hitch of breath that exposed the depths of his desires. Shatterstar had learned to read these things in Julio's body language early, since these were the parts of him he tried to hide. "Your talents, both physical and mental, have always been very attractive to me."

Shatterstar wanted to make that clear. It hadn't bothered him when Julio had been without his mutant powers. While Shatterstar loved his body, loved touching and worshipping him, it was his brain and the strength of his heart and his capacity for love and understanding and care that he treasured the most. 

Julio smiled at him, eyes dark with pleasure, and kissed him deeply, his tongue slipping into Shatterstar's mouth, slick and possessive. Shatterstar curled his hands around Julio's hips, tilting them slightly so his legs spread even wider, then held onto him as Julio ended the kiss and leaned back, reaching for the bedside table. As he fumbled around, stretched out and beautifully exposed, Shatterstar swept his gaze over him, admiring the view. His eyes lingered on Julio's cock, laying ruddy against the flat plane of his belly, before moving to the bandage, which was stark and white against his darker skin. 

"Stop thinking about it," Julio said, without having to look, still searching around in the table. Shatterstar had no idea what was taking so long, beyond the obvious that Julio's positioning, while obscene and pleasing to the eye, wasn't the best for finding things in an admittedly cluttered drawer.

"I wasn't. Not entirely," Shatterstar replied. "I was also enjoying how amazing you look right now." 

Julio laughed, breathless, though Shatterstar suspected it was due to the angle of his arch. "Yeah?" 

"Yes," Shatterstar agreed, wetting his lips. Before Julio had time to react, he bent down swiftly and took his cock into his mouth. Above him, Julio groaned, startled, and knocked something to the floor. It sounded heavy, likely the bottle of lube, but Shatterstar just continued sucking him, bobbing enthusiastically on his cock, tongue working over his heated flesh. Julio shifted under him, stretching, and Shatterstar increased his movements, determined to pull every swear word from Julio's body. 

" _Fuck_ ," Julio moaned, legs spread and amazingly open. "You're so good at this, Star."

Shatterstar pulled off then swiped his tongue over the damp head of Julio's dark cock, tonguing him, bringing the taste of his pre-come into his mouth, savouring the salty heat. Julio arched again, hanging half off the bed now, and Shatterstar smiled. "I learned that from you. Did you drop the lubricant?"

"Of course I did." Julio laughed a little and carefully rolled over. "Give me a second here."

"No. I already had to wait an hour," Shatterstar said cheerfully, digging his hands into Julio's hips, pressing kisses to the small of his back, the rounds of his ass, the soft skin on the insides of his thighs, and Julio almost slid right off the bed with a yelp, his body twisted up under Shatterstar's ministrations.

"I'm going to fall," Julio warned him, groaning and laughing in turn. 

"No," Shatterstar pressed his hands deeper into Julio's flesh, hard enough to raise bruises, "you aren't."

Shatterstar continued kissing over Julio's skin, enjoying how he wriggled and moaned and swore, salty sweat rising on his skin like dew drops. When Julio triumphantly lifted the bottle of lube over his head, Shatterstar held out his hand until Julio squirted a thick line onto his fingers. Shatterstar easily pushed one into him, with Julio still hanging over the side of the bed and his arms braced on the ground.

Julio's breath hitched wonderfully even as he laughed. "This is ridiculous."

"The view is spectacular," Shatterstar assured him, fucking him deeply with a single finger, getting him ready, letting him know what was to come, before sliding a second one in, scissoring and stretching him. Julio's body, as always, was extremely receptive to him, and he opened easily, pushing back at him, wantonly demanding more, muscle pulsing relentlessly around his knuckles. Shatterstar could tell how close he was, how easy it would be just to bring him off now, on his hand, without any extra stimulation. Knowingly, he crooked his fingers and rubbed hard against his prostate, inciting a shout. 

"Shit, shit, shit," Julio swore, ass tilted up, grinding down on him, as Shatterstar added a third finger. The stretch was obscenely beautiful, and Shatterstar marvelled again at how amazing Julio's body was. _This_ was his to revel in as often as they both desired it, because Julio had picked _him_ out of billions of possibilities. And Julio so clearly wanted him, always, but especially then. 

"Do you want to come?" Shatterstar asked innocently, already anticipating the answer. He fucked his fingers into Julio's gorgeous body, slick and open, so eager, so ready, for his cock. 

"Don't you fucking dare," Julio said, looking over his shoulder to glare at Shatterstar, red-faced and laughing, "and seriously, Star, my arms are about to give out. Are you finishing fucking around?"

"I haven't even started," Shatterstar replied with a leer, drawing another laugh, but he complied with Julio's wishes, pulling him back onto the bed by the hips and then letting Julio pick the position he preferred. Which was Shatterstar on his back, looking up at Julio's smiling face, as Julio straddled him.

Julio gave him the condom, which Shatterstar dutifully rolled onto his own cock. He bit his lip as Julio roughly slicked him up with lube, reaching back to add another dollop between his own legs. Then, without further preamble, Julio sunk down on him, all the way to the hilt, in one quick, fluid motion. 

"Fekt," Shatterstar said, rubbing his hands up and down Julio's straining thighs, Julio impossibly tight around his cock. He tried to memorize what Julio looked like right in that moment, because it was beautiful. Head bowed forward, dark hair falling into his face, catching at the corners of his mouth.

"Fekt," he said again, a little more helplessly, his heart jumping in his chest. 

"Yeah," Julio agreed, eyes closed, breath coming hard. He began move on him, rolling his hips as he snapped up and down on Shatterstar's cock, so hot and perfect inside. Shatterstar lowered his eyes and kept them there, where he entered Julio's body so effortlessly, and not on that terrible white bandage.

Not entirely, anyway. Thankfully, he had always been prone to distraction around Julio, especially when he did not have any clothes on. Shatterstar reached out to touch him, curling a hand around his cock, and Julio flinched hard, pressing his own fingers over Shatterstar's wrist, squeezing tight.

"Too much?" Shatterstar asked with a knowing smile, moving his hand back to Julio's leg. 

"You have no idea," Julio replied, lifting up then screwing down with a particular twist of his hips. 

Shatterstar groaned.

Julio rode him confidently, moving his hands to Shatterstar's chest, where they buzzed against his skin, almost unconsciously. When his fingers brushed over Shatterstar's nipples, Shatterstar dug his fingers into the muscles of Julio's thighs, fighting against his orgasm, wanting this to last forever, but Julio was simply too good in bed and too knowledgeable of Shatterstar's body and too _fekting_ tight around his cock.

"Now," Julio commanded, leaning forward, which meant one of two things: _put your hand on my cock_ or _kiss me on the mouth_. Shatterstar decided not to risk it and did both, because both sounded absolutely amazing. He met Julio halfway, catching his lips with a slick kiss, then slid his palm over Julio's cock. He stroked him, hard, as their tongues met, Julio's arms sliding around his shoulders, fingers combing into Shatterstar's hair. For a moment, he missed how long it used to be, and how Julio used to get lost in it.

Then Julio sped up his movements, hips working furiously, and all thoughts flittered from Shatterstar's head except how much he loved Julio and how incredible their bodies felt together. He came first, panting wetly into Julio's mouth, fucking up into him, knowing exactly how he liked it, then stroked Julio through his own orgasm, working his cock with his hand and demanding every last drop of him.

Wanting _everything_ , and he got it as Julio collapsed against him, face pressed into Shatterstar's neck and panting wetly over his skin. They sat like that, breathing together, for a long time. Shatterstar touched reverently over Julio's back, Julio's hands low and loose on Shatterstar's hips. 

"You are too good at that," Julio said, finally, pulling up then off and onto the bed, looking dazed.

"We've had a lot of practice together," Shatterstar replied, removing the condom and knotting it up, tossing it into the waste bin they kept beside the bed. He thought about standing, finding something to clean up with, but he decided not to bother. "We should shower, order a pizza, then have sex again."

"That sounds perfect," Julio agreed, loose and relaxed. 

Shatterstar laid down beside him, resting his head on Julio's shoulder, and slid a hand carefully over his belly, catching the edge of the bandage with his fingertips. He pressed a kiss to Julio's jaw, already dark with stubble, despite having shaved that morning, then kept his gaze on his face. "I love you, Julio."

Julio smiled, with his eyes and his mouth, and pressed a kiss into his hair. "I love you, too, Star."

They stayed like that for a while, quiet, as Shatterstar counted each beat of Julio's heart. Julio's breathing evened out, but he remained awake, and eventually Shatterstar asked, because he was curious, "if you could travel back in time and tell your younger self anything, what would it be?"

Julio hummed quietly, as he thought the question over, then said, after a moment of consideration, "I guess I'd tell him that someday someone would love him, and he'd be as close to happy as he could be." Julio smiled again, a little sad this time, and shrugged. "Younger me would need to hear that, I think."

"Would you tell him how good-looking and wonderful his boyfriend is?" 

Julio laughed. "I'm not sure he'd believe it, but sure, I'd try. Give him something to look forward to."

"Please add that I am very well-endowed."

"I don't want to scare the poor guy," Julio replied, laughing again, reaching down and brushing his hand, just the slightest of touches, over Shatterstar's cock. "What about you? What would you say?"

"Oh, you know," Shatterstar said airily, "nothing too traumatic. I just thought to tease him a little. Perhaps let him know that someday he would fight alongside his handsome boyfriend and make it his mission to ensure that their lives together are long and fulfilling, to the detriment of everything else."

Julio got a little flustered at that, scrunching up his nose, but he also looked pleased. "Then I'd have to stop you from fucking up the future," Julio admitted with another laugh. "I need you to be so obvious about your feelings that even younger me is willing to risk everything and admit he's totally into you, too."

Shatterstar frowned. "I can't imagine that being any harder than it already was." 

Julio's eyes narrowed suddenly. "You aren't actually planning to do any of this, are you?"

"Julio, please, give me some credit. I want to preserve this timeline, not destroy it."

He said it lightly, like he always did when they mused about things like this, but there was a truth to what he said, too, held in the tone of his voice, and he knew Julio understood that, even if he didn't know why Shatterstar occasionally brought it up. Someday, they would both have the whole story.

Julio sat up and stretched his arms. "Okay. Shower time then food then more fucking."

"I would also like to examine your injury," Shatterstar said, standing up and gathering the towels.

"It's fine," Julio replied, a touch of annoyance in his voice, "but yeah, if it'll make you feel better."

"It will," Shatterstar promised. "I just want to be sure you're okay."

"I thought you loved my scars."

"I do," Shatterstar assured him, touching his fingers, one by one, to the three closest, reciting the story behind each in his head, "but I like them more when they are fully healed and I can kiss them properly."

"Why do I put up with you again?" Julio grumbled, unable to keep the smile from his face.

"Because we so obviously love each other," Shatterstar told him, because it was so obviously true.


End file.
